You have a reader's question, some source material, and an article to finish. Which AI tool can help you take the next step?
Start with Perplexity for source research, Ahrefs Agent A for decisions based on SEO data, or Frase for a brief based on search results. If you already use Semrush or HubSpot, check its relevant features first. For several existing pages, consider MarketMuse for planning or AirOps for repeated updates.
Give the tool a clear task and your approved sources. Ask for one useful result: a research note, a brief, a draft, or proposed edits. An editor should check that result before the next step.
This guide covers agents, writing assistants, and planning tools. The suggestions are based on provider documentation checked on 5 October 2026. We have not run a shared test of the nine tools or measured their effect on traffic.
Compare the tools by the job you need done
Choose the result before choosing the tool. A research assistant and a blog editor solve different problems, even when both can write text.
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| Tool | When to consider it | First result to test | Your main check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perplexity Pro Search | You need to understand a topic | Research note with source links | Do the sources support the claims? |
| Jasper Research Agent | You need research for a marketing project | Report for a campaign or article | Which findings are ready to use? |
| Ahrefs Agent A | You need a decision based on SEO data | Keyword and page recommendation | Do the data and search results support it? |
| Semrush Content Toolkit | You want briefs and drafts in one place | Brief, then an editable draft | Does the article answer the right question? |
| Frase Agent | You need a brief based on ranking pages | Outline with questions and sources | What useful point will your article add? |
| MarketMuse | You need to plan new pages and updates | A plan for a group of topics | Which pages deserve the effort? |
| Surfer AI / Content Editor | You want to check a draft's topic coverage | Outline or suggested additions | Does each addition help the reader? |
| AirOps | You repeat the same update process | Proposed edits for review | Will a person approve the changes? |
| HubSpot Breeze Assistant | Your team already writes in HubSpot | A saved blog draft | Is the draft ready for publication? |
The sections below link to each provider's documentation. These are suggested uses, not a ranking from best to worst.
Research: Perplexity and Jasper
1. Perplexity Pro Search: find sources for an article
Perplexity Pro Search searches the web, combines findings, and links to its sources. It is a starting point when you need background before you can choose an article angle.
Give it a topic, the reader's task, and the questions you need answered. Ask for a short research note with claims, source links, and points where sources disagree.
For example, research for a client onboarding guide could cover account access, team roles, and preparation for the first meeting. These are suggested research topics, not findings from a tool test.
Your check: Open the sources. Find the passage that supports each important claim. A citation may support only part of an answer.
2. Jasper Research Agent: prepare research for a marketing project
Jasper Research Agent gathers and organizes information into reports with source links. Its help page lists access for Business plan customers.
Consider it when you need background for a campaign, market comparison, or article. Supply the audience, purpose, and questions. Ask it to separate supported findings from ideas that still need checking.
The first result to approve is the research report. Do this before using it to write a branded draft.
Your check: Follow the links and keep a short list of open questions. Clear writing and the right brand voice do not prove that a claim is true.
SEO decisions and briefs: Ahrefs, Semrush, Frase, and MarketMuse
SEO means improving pages so people can find them through search. A content brief is the writer's assignment: who the article helps, what it should answer, and what evidence to use.
3. Ahrefs Agent A: connect keyword data to a page decision
Ahrefs describes Agent A as an agent with direct access to its SEO data. Its examples include keyword research and checking the pages that rank for a query.
Give it your topic, target country, site, and relevant existing pages. Ask for a short keyword list with the data source, country, and check date. Then ask whether to update a page or create one, with reasons.
The useful result is a decision you can inspect. A large keyword list alone still leaves the planning work to you.
Your check: Review the data and current search results. Does the reader need a guide, template, comparison, or product page? Keep article length tied to the answer, not a competitor's word count.
4. Semrush Content Toolkit: move from a brief to a draft
Semrush Content Toolkit includes topic research, SEO briefs, article generation, editing, and reuse in other formats. These features share a chat and board interface.
Consider it when your team loses useful notes between research and writing. Start with one reader question and your source material. Review the brief before asking for the article.
Your check: Keep sections that help the reader decide or act. A section does not belong in your article just because competing pages include it.
Access to check: The plan limits list unlimited standard articles but five SEO-boosted articles per month, with more available to buy. SEO-boosted articles add advanced search-result analysis. Check the limit for the feature you need, not just the headline article allowance.
5. Frase Agent: turn search results into a brief
Frase's SEO research feature studies ranking pages, gathers questions, and builds briefs with headings, topics, and sources. You can set a country and language, then refine the brief through Frase Agent.
Give it a topic, market, and reader task. Ask which questions competing pages cover and which useful questions remain unanswered. Choose the article's main point before accepting the outline.
For an onboarding guide, a table showing who requests each type of access may help. An unrelated list of software may not.
Your check: Choose gaps that matter to your reader. An unanswered question is a reason to investigate, not proof that you need another section.
6. MarketMuse: choose what to create or update
MarketMuse Content Plans bring together topic groups, keywords, existing ranking pages, and ideas for new or updated content.
Consider it when you have several pages on related subjects. Use those pages and the topic you want to cover as the basis for a planning trial. Look for a clear role for each page before adding another one.
The useful result is a small set of writing and update priorities, with reasons your team can review.
Your check: MarketMuse says its plans contain more ideas than the recommended number of pieces. Select work that fits your audience, knowledge, and time. You do not need to turn every idea into an assignment.
Drafts and updates: Surfer, AirOps, and HubSpot
7. Surfer AI and Content Editor: check what a draft covers
Surfer's Content Editor gives guidance based on ranking content. You can write the article yourself or generate it with Surfer AI. The AI flow supports source URLs, instructions, and an option to review the outline first.
Start with an approved brief and sources. Consider Surfer when the reader and main answer are clear, but you want help finding useful points you may have missed.
Your check: Review suggested topics and terms against the brief. A content score does not verify facts or quotes. Add text when it improves the answer, not just to raise the score.
Surfer counts each created Content Editor against your plan's limit. Include editor usage and AI generation allowances in your cost check.
8. AirOps: review updates across several pages
AirOps Playbooks combine instructions, inputs, tools, and review points. A Human Review point pauses the process so a person can approve or edit the work before it continues.
Consider AirOps when your team repeats the same update task. As a small trial, supply three posts and ask for dated claims, replacement sources, and proposed edits. This is a suggested test, not a process we have tested.
Your check: Add a Human Review point before changes go forward. Review the source behind each proposed replacement. Measure setup time separately from the time needed to review each post.
Setup to check: AirOps says Playbooks cannot be added as steps inside Workflows. Choose the structure you need before building the process.
9. HubSpot Breeze Assistant: create a draft inside HubSpot
HubSpot Breeze Assistant can use a topic, brief, or URL to generate content and save a blog draft. The guide lists Marketing Hub or Content Hub Professional and Enterprise plans. A Super Admin must enable the required AI settings.
Consider it when your team already uses HubSpot to write and review blog posts. Give it the same approved brief you would give a writer. Test how much work remains before the saved draft is ready.
Your check: Review claims, sources, examples, and formatting before publication.
Use the current Breeze Assistant guide for setup. HubSpot's older Blog Research Agent guide says new installations ended on 7 September 2026.
Keep reader needs, search data, and facts separate
These inputs answer different questions:
- Reader needs: Support questions, interviews, and sales notes help show what people need to understand or do. Remove private details before sharing them with a tool.
- Search data: Search Console shows clicks and impressions for your site. You can view them by query, page, or country. This is your site's performance, not total market demand.
- Facts: Official documents, original research, and people with direct experience can support the article's claims. A page that ranks well is not automatically a reliable factual source.
For keyword figures, record the query, data provider, country, and check date. Treat search volume and difficulty as estimates. Leave missing numbers unknown.
Also check search intent: what the person searching wants to do. Current results can help you judge whether a guide, checklist, comparison, or product page fits that need.
Example: a brief a writer can use
This is an illustrative brief, not a result from any of the tools above.
Working title: Client onboarding checklist: what to collect before kickoff
Reader and task: An agency team lead needs to collect information and account access before the first project meeting.
Main point: Give each required input an owner, a reason, and a follow-up step. The reader should leave with a checklist they can adapt.
Search question: Could this answer “client onboarding checklist” for an English-speaking audience in the United States? Keyword volume and difficulty are unknown. Check current search results and any existing onboarding page before choosing the format.
Evidence needed: Ask the person who runs onboarding for their checklist and an example of a missing input. Get permission to use the material and remove private details. Check any software claims against official documentation.
Suggested outline:
- What needs to be ready before kickoff
- Information and access to collect
- Who owns each request
- What to do when something is missing
- A checklist to adapt
The article could include this sample checklist:
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| Input | Suggested owner | Why it matters | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agreed project scope | Account lead | Gives the team a shared target | Confirm it with the client |
| Required account access | Delivery lead | Allows setup work to begin | Name the requester and follow-up date |
| Client contact for approvals | Account lead | Shows who can make decisions | Confirm the right person for each decision |
Editor's check: Present this as a suggested method. Only call it “our tested checklist” if the team supplies its real process and experience. Do not add claims about average onboarding time without evidence.
Test two tools on the same task
Choose two tools that can produce the same kind of result. Give both the same reader, topic, country, existing page, and approved sources. Record whether they can search the web, use SEO data, or only read the files you provide.
For a brief, use this prompt:
Prepare a content brief, not an article.
Topic: [topic]
Reader and task: [who needs to do what]
Country and language: [market]
Our site and relevant page: [URLs]
Approved sources: [URLs or files]
Return:
1. The main question, proposed angle, and useful reader result.
2. What the person searching wants, with evidence for your view.
3. Keyword figures only from a named data source. Include the
provider, country, and check date. Mark missing data as unknown.
4. A reason to update an existing page or create a new one.
5. An outline, key claims with sources, and open questions.
6. Three questions for a person with direct experience.
Separate source findings from your suggestions.
Say what you could not access or verify.
Do not invent quotes, examples presented as real, or metrics.
Stop after the brief so an editor can review it.
For a drafting test, supply the same approved brief and sources. For a planning test, use the same pages and ask for the same decisions.
Keep a simple record:
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| Measure | What to record |
|---|---|
| Evidence | Claims without support, broken links, and missing data sources |
| Readiness for the next step | Questions the writer or editor still needs answered |
| Editing work | Facts, headings, and examples that need fixing |
| Human time | Active time spent on setup, checking, and editing |
| Total time | Time from the request to an accepted result, including waiting |
| Cost | Required plan, seats, usage fees, and extra data access |
Before judging speed, check that sources support the important claims and missing data is visible. Keep the raw result and edited version. Try a second typical task before choosing a tool for the team.
If you already pay for a platform, compare the extra cost of using its feature with the full cost of another tool. Include the time needed to set it up and review its work.
Start with one article
Pick a piece your team already needs. Choose the step where you need help, give the tool a clear input, and review its result. Use that test to decide whether the tool is worth adding to your process.
If you need a reusable method for an AI tool you already use, explore the JuicyAgents skills directory. A skill is a set of instructions for a compatible AI tool. Check its requirements and source. JuicyAgents helps you find the skill; your chosen tool runs it, and your team reviews the work.